SPOILERS ahead from the 2019 Big Brother 21 live feeds.
Jackson and Holly did not have a very Jolly Labor Day weekend. The last showmance of Big Brother 21 should be on top of the world in Week 10, but they had a big fight on Saturday that may or may not have game repercussions beyond their personal relationship.
Jackson Michie is the Head of Household again. He was HoH two weeks ago, and Holly Allen was HoH last week. They own that HoH room. They also have a final four with Cliff Hogg III and Nicole Anthony that may have some cracks after the Veto competition.
More on the potential Nicole/Cliff cracks below. First, Jackson and Holly. She snapped and called him a "fucking asshole." (coughwhere's the liecough) He got VERY upset, in part 'cause his mom and friends will hear it. Zingbot had just called him a pompous douchebag. He said all of his exes have called him names like that too, and he's not going through that again. It turned into a whole fight about communication, how they are perceived on TV, their relationship, reading into things, and even their age difference, which Zingbot zeroed in on. (She's 31. He's 24.)
It was a whole soap opera scene. Holly apologized for calling Jackson a fucking asshole, but many fans are on Holly's side -- and some of the houseguests also seem to think Holly should grow a backbone when it comes to Jackson. When it was noted that Holly was the only one who hadn't suffered a punishment this season, Nicole quipped that being in a showmance with Michie was punishment enough. (Zing!) Here's just a snippet of the fight dynamic:
If Jackson is that upset about Holly calling him a name, imagine how he's going to feel when he reads comments after this season. Just stick to a showmance with watermelon, man.
Jackson and Holly seem to be better now, but they still have communication issues and some lingering resentment. Like any couple. They just happen to be stuck together in this house with other people they're trying to vote out. Holly does not appreciate that her game is always connected to Jackson's. They are always "Jackson and Holly" and she may fear he'll get more credit if they magically find their way to the end together.
Holly has been surprisingly good at the game -- I agree with Nick Maccarone that she has a great chance of winning in the end, if she can get there. But she is not a Big Brother superfan and really had no clue what it would be like in the house with the cameras. Apparently she was feeling claustrophobic and under the microscope pressure because of the 24/7 nature of the show.
The other houseguests are aware of Jackson and Holly's fight. Christie Murphy said on Saturday night that she hoped they worked it out because "it's awkward" to have to live in the house with them like that. Nicole added that it was like their parents were fighting.
The fight may blow over and Jackson and Holly could be closer than ever after this, but the timing is bad because 1) Cliff is going on the block on Jackson's HoH, despite their final four deal; 2) Nicole got paranoid last night that Jackson and Holly might have a real final four with Christie and Tommy, screwing over her and Cliff; and 3) there's a double eviction coming on Thursday and Jackson cannot play HoH.
If the house gets tired of The Jackson and Holly Show, they have any number of reasons to put them both on the block.
Tommy Bracco won the Veto on Saturday afternoon. He is just about certain to use it tomorrow (Monday, September 2, 2019, unless there's a Labor Day delay) at the Veto Ceremony. He wants to save Christie. Jackson nominated Christie and Jessica Milagros for eviction, with Jess as his target. Jackson was even the one to say, before the Veto, that Tommy could use the Veto to save Christie if he won. Cliff told Jackson he was OK to be a pawn. (Even if Cliff is fine this week, he really shouldn't have done that. Don't make it even easier for Jackson when he's already steamrolling the game.)
Jackson also told Tommy he'd put Cliff up. So Cliff is almost certain to go up as a pawn next to Jess. Nicole freaked out because the Veto comp was the classic Hide and Go Veto comp. She and Cliff told Jackson where they hid their cards, and Jackson found them anyway. That led Nicole to think he might be working against them.
Also on Saturday night, Tommy and Nicole had a conversation about realizing that Jackson is targeting Jess to get rid of the one person on her own. They realize -- thankfully! -- that Jackson is trying to cover his and Holly's butts on both sides with both remaining couples:
Will that conversation go anywhere, or will Nicole stick with Jackson/Holly through the double eviction? Emotions are fraught right now. The houseguests keep emphasizing how different it is when you are in the Big Brother house vs. watching from home. I can only imagine. However, if I'm Tommy and Christie, I'd be watching this showmance fight with interest. They even had some bonding time with Nicole and Cliff on Sunday morning, while Jackson and Holly were still elsewhere resolving their drama. Opportunity knocking?
Christie already said she thought Jackson/Holly/Nicole/Cliff might be a final four. This could be an opportunity to chip away at those cracks. Feed the paranoia to get Cliff and Nicole on their side. Christie and Tommy could also try for the opposite -- find a way to save Jess and get Cliff out, after the Veto Ceremony. That might be a tough sell, though. Who'd be buying? Nicole wouldn't sell out Cliff, and they'd have to convince Holly. I'd aim for bringing Nicole and Cliff closer.
The rest of the endurance wall comp and Jackson's nominations aired Sunday. The Veto Ceremony should be Monday, with the Veto comp shown on TV on Wednesday. Then we have the live eviction and then the super-fast double eviction right behind it on Thursday, September 5.
Big Brother 2019 airs Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays on CBS. Keep up with all the action on the live feeds.
